¹Biochemistry, Toxicology and Nutritional Deficiency Diseases Dept., Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Dokki, Giza, EGYPT
²Pathology and Clinical Pathology Deptartment, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Zagazig Branch, EGYPT
³Bacteriology Deptartment, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Zagazig Branch, EGYPT
⁴Biochemistry, Toxicology and Nutritional Deficiency Diseases Deptartment, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Zagazig Branch, EGYPT DOI : 10.9775/kvfd.2025.35119 This study aimed to identify synergistic antibacterial combinations containing rutin in both in vivo and in vitro settings. Escherichia coli, a major cause of poultry mortality, was isolated from broiler chickens and tested for antibiotic resistance using various methods, and the results showed that E. coli was resistant to all antibiotics, with only colistin showing a zone of inhibition. In the in vivo study, 50 one-day-old broilers were divided into five groups: control (non-infected, untreated), E. coli challenged (infected at 2 weeks old, untreated), rutin-treated (fed rutin at 1000 mg/kg diet without infection), E. coli + colistin (infected at 2 weeks old and treated with colistin at 1 g/5 L drinking water for 5 days), and rutin + colistin (fed rutin from day 1, infected at 2 weeks old, then treated with colistin). E. coli infection increased liver enzyme activity [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST)], globulin levels, oxidative stress markers [malondialdehyde (MDA)], and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), while lowering total protein, albumin, and antioxidant enzyme activity. Treatment with both rutin and colistin resulted in decreased serum ALT, AST, MDA, and TNF-α, while increasing total protein, albumin, and antioxidant enzymes. In conclusion, rutin administration provided excellent protection against the adverse consequences of E. coli infection through its antibacterial, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, and the combination with colistin showed the greatest improvement, highlighting a synergistic effect. Keywords : Antioxidant, Drug-resistant, E. coli, Poultry, Resistant gene, Rutin